“an intense focus, across nearly every academic subject, on teaching the skills that underlie good analytical writing.”

Direct and Explicit Instruction

“The thing is, kids need a formula, at least at first, because what we are asking them to do is very difficult. So God, let’s stop acting like they should just know how to do it. Give them a formula! Later, when they understand the rules of good writing, they can figure out how to break them.”

"traditional instruction delivered by the teachers already in classrooms may turn out to be the most powerful lever we have for improving school performance after all."

The best place to teach literacy skills is in content areas. - Dan Willingham

the emphasis on writing at New Dorp helped in knowledge and vocabulary acquisition by forcing "distributed practice" of subject matter and vocabulary, causing them to be learned more effectively by having to be written out.

Writing improves reading and vice versa. - Steve Graham

the promise of the method lies in its efficiency: killing two birds with one stone, both writing and general knowledge. The efficiency is significant only if it's an effective pedagogical device in support of cumulative knowledge building.

The key is that students can apply what they have learned.

As schools embark on the implementation of the Common Core standards, let us hope that educators keep in mind that they are just standards and that the heavy lifting, as Hirsch suggests, will be that of “defining specifically the knowledge to be learned.”

These Action Briefs for school leaders are a starting point, designed to increase awareness of the standards, create a sense of urgency around their implementation, and provide these stakeholders — who are faced with dramatically increased expectations in the context of fewer resources — with a deeper understanding of the standards and their role in implementing the standards. Achieve, in partnership with College Summit, the National Association of Secondary School Principals, and the National Association of Elementary School Principals, released this with support from MetLife Foundation.

Under fire from conservatives, changes are made to AP U.S. History framework.

Facing Conservative Pressure, College Board Revises AP History Test.

The Washington Post (7/31, Layton) reports that on Thursday the college board released “a new version” of its AP history course, noting that it has been “under fire during the past year from conservatives for revisions it made” to the course in 2014. The piece notes that conservatives “slammed the 2014 Advanced Placement history course saying it overemphasized negative aspects of US history.” The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (7/31) also covers this story.

A new survey conducted for Achieve shows that most college instructors and employers believe students come to campus and the workplace with at least some gaps in preparation.

Mel Riddile's insight:

More than three-quarters all all college instructors polled said they were dissatisfied with their students' abilities in critical thinking, comprehension of complicated materials, work and study habits, writing, written communication, and problem solving. This reflects a level of dissatisfaction that is 10 percentage points higher than when instructors were pollled by Achieve in 2004.

As many educators predicted, scores on the state's standardized tests plummeted this year, the first time the exams were aligned with the rigorous Pennsylvania Core Standards.

Pennsylvania Test Scores Drop In First Year Implementing New Standards.

The Allentown (PA) Morning Call (7/15, Palochko) reported Pennsylvania test scores “plummeted this year, the first time the exams were aligned with the rigorous Pennsylvania Core Standards.” Many educators predicted the lower scores, especially in math, which fell by 34%.

Ohio's new math and English tests will take a combined six hours next year, down from the 10 or more spent on the Common Core exams from PARCC this past school year.

Ohio To Limit Common Core Tests To Three Hours Per Subject.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer (7/13) reports that Ohio Department of Education testing director Jim Wright told the state Board of Education this week that his department is working with the American Institutes for Research on limiting next year’s Common Core tests to three hours per subject per year. The article contrasts this with the “10 to 11 hours students spent on the PARCC Common Core tests this just-finished school year.”

Cutting time may be an asset to students doing better on tests. A lot of students concentration of attention are not able to complete a 10 hour test. Cutting down the test and making the test more detailed and attentive may be the way to go to impact student learning.

This is a move in the right direction. The testing that took place in Michigan this year was ridiculous. I scooped this because there is a major need to change the amount of testing that we do to our students.

This is a move in the right direction. The testing that took place in Michigan this year was ridiculous. I scooped this because there is a major need to change the amount of testing that we do to our students.

"It is important to consider that unless assessments are independently verified to adhere to basic standards of test development regarding validity, reliability, security, accessibility, and fairness in administration, the resulting scores will be meaningless and should not be used to make claims nor conclusions of student learning, progress, aptitude, nor readiness for college or career.

Please consider the following questions and evidence as you determine public communication and next steps regarding test score data provided by the SmarterBalanced Assessment Consortium.

Questions

Q1: How is standardization to be assumed when students are taking tests on different technological tools with vastly varying screen interfaces? Depending on the technology used, (desktops, laptops, chromebooks, and/or ipads), students would need different skills in typing, touch screen navigation, and familiarity with the tool."

The Idaho Statesman (7/1) reports that for years after adopting the Common Core standards, the Idaho Department of Education is releasing the first set of test results from aligned exams. The piece notes that “only half of students or less in grades three through eight and 10th grade are proficient in math and English.” Noting that the state is part of the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, the article reports that the exams have been “criticized by opponents of Common Core.”

The AP (7/2, Kruesi) reports that overall proficiency levels in the state were higher than “national benchmarks,” adding that “Idaho students exceeded projected proficiency levels in all grades for English language arts, with high school grades scoring much higher in the top two advance levels.”

Mel Riddile's insight:

A comprehensive statewide literacy initiative, principal training, and ten years of experience with online testing contributed to the state's better than expected results.

New York and Kentucky, which gave common-core tests before other states did—and navigated the public reaction—share their experiences as dozens of other states get ready to do the same.

Even without the alignment issue, there's the trendline issue: most states gave new tests this year, so that makes year-to-year comparisons impossible. Unavoidably, people will want to make year-to-year comparisons. They'll yearn to make year-to-year comparisons. And while those comparisons might tell you something about the relative rigor of each test, they won't tell you much about students' progress over time.

"Neither university faculty nor employers believe that American public high schools are preparing students for the expectations they'll face in college and career.

In fact, compared to 2004, the assessment is even more dismal. More than a decade ago, for example, only 28 percent of college instructors stated that schools were doing an adequate job of readying students for what came next after high school. That count is down to 14 percent in 2015.

Among employers, 49 percent in 2004 said that schools were adequately preparing students for what they would need for work; in 2015, the count was 29 percent.

Part of the challenge, say students themselves, is that their high schools don't set academic expectations high enough. Fifty-four percent said that they were only "somewhat challenged"; 20 percent said it was "easy to slide by.""

The Governor's Council on Common Core Review, chaired by Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin, arrives at a bold conclusion: The Department of Education needs to review Common Core.

Mel Riddile's insight:

Arkansas Common Core Task Force Votes To Keep Standards.

The Arkansas Times (7/30) reports that the Arkansas Governor’s Council on Common Core Review voted this week to recommend that the state retain the standards while the Arkansas Department of Education conducts “a comprehensive review of the standards with the goal of revising, improving and replacing” them “as warranted.” The article points out that the panel took 40 hours of hearings around the state to essentially punt the decision back to the state DOE, suggesting that the lack of action can be attributed to the standards being “a political hot potato.”

The AP (7/30, DeMillo) reports that the panel approved “recommendations that called for the state’s ‘complete and unfettered control’ over the standards, but didn’t call for an outright end to the use of Common Core.” The piece reports that Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin, who chaired the panel, “said he didn’t think it makes sense for the state to drop Common Core before it reviews how to replace the standards.” KTHV-TV Little Rock, AR (7/30) also covers this story.

A new study found that in two-year colleges, only 4 percent of instructors found students "most generally able to do what is expected." The number was slightly higher in four-year schools: 12 percent. The rest reported that students had arrived to higher ed with at least some gaps in preparation.

A pro-Common Core coalition of business groups has a series of recommendations for the state as it soldiers on with the standards, including the use of an independent review to gauge their effectiv...

Mel Riddile's insight:

“The educators and parents in this report are sending a clear message – higher standards are working in their classrooms and for their children,” said Steve Sigmund, High Achievement’s executive director. “Despite cynical voices whose solution is to ‘opt out,’ we know the standards and assessments are needed, and there are real improvements that will help make them more effective for millions of kids. We must continue moving forward to ensure that New York’s students are ready for college and 21st century careers.”

The New Hampshire-based company Measured Progress, which developed online Common Core tests used in Montana, Nevada, and North Dakota, has acknowledged a major problem with the test’s rollout.Technical malfunctions, such as servers crashing during testing, resulted in only 37 percent of Nevada students being able to take their exams. Montana and North Dakota only managed to test 76 percent and 84 percent of students online, respectively.Though Measured Progress admits the online test completion

Mel Riddile's insight:

Company Admits Problems With Online Common Core Test Rollout.

The New Hampshire Union Leader (7/1) website carries a piece from the Spectator saying that Measured Progress, “which developed online Common Core tests used in Montana, Nevada, and North Dakota, has acknowledged a major problem with the test’s rollout.” The New Hampshire-based company admitted “the online test completion rate in all three states failed to meet the federal mandate of at least 95 percent of 3rd through 8th graders,” but denied breach of contract.

Gov. Bruce Rauner's new superintendent of education on Tuesday stepped outside the GOP box on Illinois' new standardized test.

Illinois Education Chief: PARCC Currently Best Option.

The Bloomington (IL) Pantagraph (6/25) reports that Illinois education chief Tony Smith “stepped outside the GOP box” saying that the state’s PARCC test, which has sparked controversy in the state, could stand some improvement but is the best option currently on the table. The piece quotes Smith saying, “This is the best current opportunity to create a high-quality assessment.” Smith “made it clear during a stop in Bloomington to address educators that he wants to improve PARCC rather than kill it and bring back the elementary Illinois Standard Achievement Test and high school Prairie State Achievement Exam, as opponents have requested.”

Testing groups point to strict training and criteria for Common Core grading, but the use of temps for increasingly complex tests is being questioned.

Pearson, which operates 21 scoring centers around the country, hired 14,500 temporary scorers throughout the scoring season, which began in April and will continue through July. About three-quarters of the scorers work from home. Pearson recruited them through its own website, personal referrals, job fairs, Internet job search engines, local newspaper classified ads and even Craigslist and Facebook. About half of those who go through training do not ultimately get the job.

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